sandstone
Oil sands are a loose sand deposit which contain a very viscous form of petroleum known as bitumen. These unconsolidated sandstone deposits comprise primarily of sand, clay and water saturated with bitumen. Oil sands are sometimes referred to as tar sands or bituminous sands.
What type of rock is in Fort McMurray?
The McMurray Formation, up to 150 m thick, lies over a layer of shale and limestone (the Devonian Waterways Formation) and beneath the Clearwater Formation, a layer of marine shale and sandstone.
How were the Athabasca oil sands formed?
Alberta’s oil sands were formed millions of years ago, as tiny marine creatures died and drifted to the sea floor and were covered by layers of sediment that exerted enough pressure and temperatures to transform the organic matter into oil. Over millions of years, that oil became trapped in thick layers of sand.
What is occurring naturally at the Athabasca oil sands?
Oil sands explained Oil sand is a naturally occurring mixture of sand, clay or other minerals, water and bitumen, which is a heavy and extremely viscous oil. The Athabasca deposit is the largest, most developed oil sands project in Alberta. It utilizes the most technologically advanced production processes.
Why are the Athabasca oil sands significant?
The oil sands contain enough oil to produce 2.5 million barrels of oil per day for 186 years. In 2015, the U.S. consumed 19.4 million barrels of oil per day. TransCanada has proposed building a pipeline to bring oil from the Athabasca oil sands directly to refineries in the United States.
What products are made from oil sands?
Oil sands facilities produce one of two products: either a heavy marketable diluted bitumen (commonly referred to as Dilbit), or a light synthetic crude oil. Dilbit is a heavy sour crude, while synthetic crude is a light sweet oil, produced only through bitumen upgrading.
What is Fort McMurray known for?
Fort McMurray is most known for the Athabasca Oil Sands, but there’s more to this area than oil. It was originally settled by the Cree people, which came to the area looking for furs. Peter Pond was one of the first European explorers to come to the area and he explored the Athabasca River and the Clearwater River.
What are the physical features of Fort McMurray?
Fort McMurray is 435 km (270 mi) northeast of Edmonton on Highway 63, about 60 km (37 mi) west of the Saskatchewan border, nestled in the boreal forest at the confluence of the Athabasca River, the Clearwater River, the Hangingstone River, and the Horse River. It sits at 370 m (1,210 ft) above sea level.
What is the significance of the Athabasca oil sands in Canada?
The Athabasca deposit is the largest known reservoir of crude bitumen in the world and the largest of three major oil sands deposits in Alberta, along with the nearby Peace River and Cold Lake deposits (the latter stretching into Saskatchewan).
What are the benefits of oil sands?
- Very large supply. Second largest oil field in the world.
- Economically recoverable at today’s oil prices.
- Will help keep oil prices relatively low.
- Enormous growth potential.
- Big economic driver in Alberta.
- Stable source country (a rarity for oil)
- GHG emissions could potentially be minimized through CCS.
Are oil sands good or bad?
Tar sands oil — even the name sounds bad. And it is bad. In fact, oil from tar sands is one of the most destructive, carbon-intensive and toxic fuels on the planet. In fact, it has become one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions in that country.
What are the geologic features of the Athabasca oil sands?
Geologic features of the Athabasca oil sands. The Athabasca oil sands deposit is the largest Cretaceous oil sands deposit in Alberta, covering an area of about 46,000 km 2 (Conly et al. 2002). Most of the bitumen deposits are found in the McMurray Formation, a layer of shale, sandstone, and oil-impregnated sands formed during…
How is oil extracted from the Athabasca River?
The Athabasca River runs through the center of the scene, separating two major operations. To extract the oil at these locations, oil producers remove the sand in big, open-pit mines, which are tan and irregularly shaped.
Where can I find the Athabasca formation?
North of Fort McMurray the Formation can be found within 75 m of the surface, and is exposed at the surface where the Athabasca River and its tributaries have incised into the landscape.
What is the composition of an oil sands deposit?
OIL SANDS DEPOSITS EXPLAINED. The exact composition of Alberta’s oil sands can vary greatly, even within the same geological formation. A typical oil sands deposits contains about 10% bitumen, 5% water and 85% solids. However, the bitumen content can be as high as 20% in some sections.
